US attacks Iranian nuclear site while Tehran hits oil tanker off the Dubai coast
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A possible United States strike on the central Iranian city of Isfahan early Tuesday sent a massive fireball into the sky and Tehran hit a fully loaded Kuwaiti oil tanker in the Persian Gulf.
The attacks were evidence of the intensity of the month-long war waged by the United States and Israel against Iran, which maintains control of the Strait of Hormuz, blocking the vital waterway for global energy shipments, sending oil prices soaring and roiling world markets.
US President Donald Trump, who insisted that progress was being made in diplomatic talks regarding the ceasefire, shared the video of the Isfahan attack, with fiery explosions illuminating the night sky. Isfahan is home to one of three sites attacked by the US military in June, and some of Iran’s highly enriched uranium is likely stored, buried or buried there.
Meanwhile, Israel announced that four soldiers, as well as two more United Nations peacekeepers, had been killed in its invasion of Lebanon, prompting the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting later on Tuesday.
Iran launches new attacks on Gulf neighbors and hits oil tanker in Dubai waters
Spot prices for Brent crude, the international standard, were hovering around $107 per barrel in early trading; This is up more than 45% since February 28, when the war began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran.
Iran’s dominance over the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway to the Persian Gulf through which one-fifth of the world’s oil is transported in peacetime, has increased global oil prices, as have its attacks on the Gulf’s regional energy infrastructure.
Responding to growing anger from Gulf Arabs, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted on Tuesday that Tehran was only targeting US forces. There were several states to encourage Washington To continue the war until Iran’s military capabilities are destroyed.
“Our operations target enemy aggressors who have no respect for Arabs or Iranians and cannot provide any security,” Araghchi wrote to X. “It is time to remove US forces from the region.”
Dubai Media Office said that despite these words, attacks against civilian targets continued when an Iranian drone hit a Kuwaiti oil tanker in Dubai waters and the fire was later extinguished.
In Dubai, four people were injured when the wreckage of a stopped drone fell into a residential area.
As air raid sirens blared in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense said three ballistic missiles launched towards Riyadh were intercepted and debris falling from a drone stopped southeast of the capital caused minor damage to six houses.
Shortly after the Israeli military warned of an upcoming missile attack from Iran, sirens were heard and loud explosions were heard in Jerusalem.
Israel and the USA launched a new wave of attacks on Iran
Israel and the USA launched a new move Wave of attacks on IranIt hit Tehran in the early morning hours.
The video shared by Trump appeared to show a major attack on Isfahan, where NASA fire monitoring satellites suggested that the explosions occurred near Mount Soffeh, where military positions are believed to be located. Iran has not yet confirmed the attack.
A satellite image taken just before the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June shows Tehran transporting a truckload of highly enriched uranium to its nuclear facility in Isfahan.
The image from the Airbus Defense and Space Pléiades Neo satellite shows a truck loaded with 18 blue containers entering a tunnel at the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center about two weeks before the US bombed the area.
Analysts determined that the truck was likely carrying most or all of Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% purity. This is a short, technical step towards 90% weapon grade levels.
All eyes on Kharg Island as more US offensive troops move into the area
Trump said this week that “great progress has been made” in talks with Iran to end military operations. But if an agreement is not reached “shortly” and the Strait of Hormuz is not immediately reopened, he said, the US will expand its offensive by “completely destroying” power plants, oil wells, Kharg Island and possibly even the island of Kharg. desalination plants.
The US has also sent 2,500 Marines to the region, with another on the way, and has also ordered 1,000 paratroopers to the region.
Trump has spoken openly about the possibility of Iran trying to seize Kharg Island, its main oil export hub, and Iran has accused the United States of using diplomacy to stall until more troops arrive.
The US has already targeted military positions in Kharg. Iran has threatened to launch its own ground attack on Gulf Arab states and mine the Persian Gulf if US troops set foot on its territory.
During Trump’s second term, the United States twice attacked Iran during high-level diplomatic talks, including the Feb. 28 attacks that started the current war.
Peacekeepers killed in Lebanon while Israel fights Hezbollah
The UN Security Council planned to hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday after officials said three peacekeepers in southern Lebanon were killed in less than 24 hours.
UN peacekeeping mission in the region Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah He did not say who was responsible for the deaths.
Authorities said more than 1,900 people died in Iran, while 19 people were reported dead in Israel.
Two dozen people were killed in the Gulf countries and the occupied West Bank. In Lebanon, officials say more than 1,200 people have been killed was killedand more than 1 million people were displaced.
Ten Israeli soldiers were killed in Lebanon, including the four announced on Tuesday, while 13 US soldiers were also killed. was killed in war.
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The rises were reported from Bangkok. Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed to this report.
